Abu Dhabi T10 has announced a strategic content partnership with DRM (Dot Republic Media), the world’s number one cricket digital network and one of YouTube’s largest multi-channel networks, with more than 600 channels and 190 million combined subscribers.

Across its sports ecosystem built on partnerships with leading cricket federations and broadcasters worldwide, DRM reaches over 20 million subscribers and delivered more than 10 billion impressions and 2 billion views in 2025 alone.

Under this partnership, DRM will deliver year-round content for Abu Dhabi T10 across its YouTube network, keeping the T10 product in front of fans well beyond the tournament window, growing viewership and audiences in key markets, and building deeper engagement with a new generation of cricket fans.

For Abu Dhabi T10 2026, which will run November 7-20 at the UAE capital’s iconic Zayed Cricket Stadium the partnership means ‘Cricket’s Fastest Format’® is now programmed on YouTube 365 days a year, not only across the thirteen days of the tournament. A team of dedicated content experts will deliver player features, on-field highlights and re-lives drawn from archival seasons, distributed simultaneously across the network’s channels, and targeted at cricket’s largest digital markets.

It is a deliberate move from a traditional distribution model to a digital-first one. Rather than reaching supporters only through intermediaries, Abu Dhabi T10 will hold a direct line to its audience, every week of the year, on the platform where cricket’s next generation already watches the game.

Matt Boucher, CEO of the tournament’s owners Abu Dhabi Cricket & Sports Hub (ADCSH) and Abu Dhabi T10, said the expanded distribution strategy was another key piece of the wider platform now being built around the tournament.

“Global reach is fundamental to the ambition we have for Abu Dhabi T10, and our partnership with DRM gives us the digital connectivity needed to engage the next generation of cricket fans,” explained Boucher.

“Piece by piece, we are building a compelling new platform for the tournament – one that creates greater international visibility, stronger commercial opportunities, and a powerful showcase for Abu Dhabi as a global destination for sport, entertainment and investment.”

Muhammad Adnan Butt, CEO, DRM commented: “We are pleased to align with a tournament that understands where content consumption is going. Abu Dhabi T10 is an innovative format, built for the way audiences watch sport today, and that shared view is what makes this partnership work. We look forward to putting the Abu Dhabi T10 in front of our creators and our sports audience every month of the year.”

Imran Khan, CEO, Apex Sports Consulting which co-ordinated the partnership added: “We are thrilled to bring this collaboration with two partners who have done so much for the growth of the game. Digital-first is the future of the sport, and there is no better way to access that than through this platform. Apex is building this distribution model across cricket, and this is what digital-first looks like in practice.”

Meta has launched Meta One, a subscription service bringing premium features across Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp and Meta AI, with plans in the UAE starting at Dh22.99 a month.

The service is part of the technology company’s wider push into paid products, combining enhanced artificial intelligence tools, creative features and professional services for creators and businesses.

Meta said the core versions of its apps and Meta AI would remain free, while subscribers would receive higher usage limits and access to additional features.

The company said Meta One launches with more than 50 features. It follows the introduction of individual subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp, which Meta said have attracted more than 15 million subscriptions and trials.

More AI tools and creative features

Meta One’s individual plans, Core and Premium, offer greater access to AI-powered image generation, video creation using Meta’s Muse models, image editing, Instagram’s Restyle tools and voice effects.

Meta said its AI assistant would continue to be available for everyday use without a subscription. The paid plans are aimed at users who want more intensive access to AI-powered creative tools.

Early testing found that more than half of bundle subscribers used both AI and creative-expression features, according to Meta. Instagram Restyle and voice effects were among the features most frequently cited as reasons for subscribing.

The new bundles also include features available through the company’s individual app subscriptions.

Instagram Plus has added custom fonts for direct messages and Stories, notifications for specific Story viewers and DM previews. Facebook Plus includes Messenger customisation, expanded Reels insights and super reactions across Reels and Feed posts.

WhatsApp Plus is expected to test chat and media backup storage, as well as Focus Schedules, which allow users to mute or hide chats at set times.

Business and creator plans

Meta One also includes subscription tiers aimed at creators and businesses, offering professional profile tools, AI-powered customer engagement and expanded analytics.

Business subscribers can access enhanced profiles displaying details such as websites, locations and customer reviews. Other features include a prominent follow button on Reels and automated follow invitations for users who interact with content.

Businesses will also receive expanded access to Meta Business Agent, Meta’s AI-powered tool for handling customer queries around the clock on WhatsApp.

Higher-tier plans add features such as Story scheduling, exportable analytics, deeper audience insights, collaborative account management and expanded business messaging capabilities.

Meta said it plans to introduce further benefits over time, including Edits Plus, which is expected to offer additional cloud storage for syncing projects across devices and greater access to an upcoming assistant that can analyse Instagram insights and generate content ideas.

The company also plans to extend Meta One benefits to other products, including its Edits video-editing app and AI-powered smart glasses.

Meta One UAE pricing

Meta said Meta One plans are available globally, although features, pricing and availability may vary by region, app and account.

The UAE pricing announced for the service is:

Individual app subscriptions

• Instagram Plus: Dh7.99 a month
• WhatsApp Plus: Dh5.99 a month
• Facebook Plus: Dh7.99 a month

Meta One individual bundles

• Core: Dh22.99 a month
• Premium: Dh76.99 a month

Creator and business bundles

• Essential: From Dh46.99 a month
• Advanced: From Dh119 a month
• Expert: From Dh359 a month
• Max: Up to Dh1,199 a month

The company said the subscription options are designed to give users more choice, while keeping its main social media services accessible without payment.

Some leading Dubai brokerages are charging buyers for in-house conveyancing or sales-progression services while also holding the sales mandate for the property being purchased.

The practice raises a broader question about how transaction roles should be structured: when a brokerage represents the seller and also provides the service responsible for progressing the buyer’s purchase, should the buyer be required to pay for that service?

The arrangement is visible across brokerage websites, while LinkedIn and Instagram profiles show sales-progression and conveyancing teams operating within some agencies.

The issue is not necessarily the competence of an in-house conveyancer. The more fundamental question is one of independence. A buyer paying for a transfer service may reasonably expect that the person handling the transaction is able to act without commercial considerations connected to the other side.

Consider a seller who has multiple properties listed with the same brokerage, or one who is selling a current home while planning to purchase another property through the same agency. In such cases, the brokerage may have a broader commercial relationship with the seller than with a buyer completing a single transaction.

That distinction can become important when a seller-side issue delays or complicates a transfer. The person responsible for resolving the bottleneck should be able to communicate the problem to the buyer clearly and objectively, without having to balance that responsibility against a wider commercial relationship.

There are parallels in other parts of the financial and property sectors. Banks, for example, commonly appoint independent valuers rather than relying on a valuation conducted by a party whose commercial interests are directly tied to the transaction. The separation of roles is intended to reduce potential conflicts and strengthen confidence in the process.

“The real test of a transfer service comes when the interests on each side stop aligning,” said Jan Baluyut, Director, Property Affairs at Cendale, which operates Conveyance.ae. “An independent transfer provider has no sales mandate to protect, no listing relationship to preserve and no sales commission dependent on completion. That is the procedural oversight buyers pay for.”

Functional separation is also well established internationally. In the UK, buyers and sellers commonly instruct separate solicitors, while in the US, attorneys, title companies and escrow providers can perform distinct roles depending on the state. Dubai does not need to replicate either system, but both demonstrate that transaction roles can be separated to provide greater clarity around responsibilities.

The question is relevant across both ready properties and secondary off-plan transactions. While the mechanics of each transaction can differ, the buyer’s need for accurate information, clear communication and independent oversight remains the same.

Where a brokerage offers an in-house conveyancing or sales-progression service, buyers should be clearly informed about the arrangement, including whether the service is optional and whether they are free to appoint an independent provider.

As Dubai’s property market continues to expand and attract investors from around the world, greater transparency around who represents whom — and who is paying whom — could become an increasingly important part of a mature transaction process.